THE WEEK THAT WAS

Bedardi Saiyaan | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Director Mohsin Mirza cashes in on Ali Agha’s earlier viral success as the cool gangster-kidnapper in Andaz-i-Sitam, by introducing his character piecemeal in the opening episode, a bit like directors often introduce beautiful female leads with extreme close-ups of them applying make-up and putting on jewellery.

As the title suggests, Ali Agha plays the cruel and arrogant Shani, the anti-hero who is a mama’s boy and will continue to torture his fiance/wife in as many creative ways that the writer Jahanzaib Qamar can imagine in a done-to-death storyline. Saba Faisal supports him as the cruel mum-in-law and Sanam Chaudhary plays Hania, the tortured bahu.

Yaqeen Ka Safar | Hum TV, Wed 8.00pm

Twenty-nine episodes down, the epic journey ends. The closure of this intense and emotional serial shot in Hunza was much-anticipated and the well-defined characters had grown on the audience. It sent a clear message across about confronting your fears instead of hiding from them.

Playing Dr Zubya was a piece of cake for Sajjal Ali. The male lead Ahad Raza Mir may not be as dashing as his dad Asif Raza Mir once was, but acting is in his genes. Mani, Hira Mani and (their son) Ibrahim Salman were endearing in their roles and bonded as an on-screen family.

What to watch out for

Paimanay | Urdu1, Wed 8.00pm

With versatile roles in Zindaan, Shadi Mubarak Ho and Gumraah, it has been a good year for Asad Siddiqui. In Paimanay, he has a meaty role opposite two gorgeous ladies Fatima Effendi (Kaash Mein Teri Beti Na Hoti) and the showstopper model Eshal Fayyaz. Can’t wait to see what director Danish Nawaz has in store for us, considering he made our knees go week with the sizzling chemistry between Hira Mani and Junaid Khan in Sun Yaara earlier this year.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 12th, 2017